Jorge Martinez

Living uninsured with diabetes

“I was frustrated when I was first diagnosed, but now I’m confident that I will be able to control my diabetes. It is stable and my life is in balance.”—Jorge Martinez

Even though Jorge Martinez, 57, has a steady job cooking and cleaning at a Medford fast food restaurant, he doesn’t have health insurance. But he knows he has to manage his diabetes so he can stay active and enjoy life with his adult children and four grandchildren, who range in age from 4 to 17 years old.

For that, he relies on services from La Clinica, where he has been a patient for 18 years, first at Phoenix Health Center and now at the Wellness Center.

“I get a lot of help and support from the providers,” Jorge said in Spanish. La Clinica’s income-based sliding scale helps keeps costs of his visits manageable for him.

Initially he got some free samples of the insulin he needed. Then his care team connected him with a pharmacy discount program so he could get affordable prescriptions. La Clinica also provided education so he could learn more about controlling his disease with diet and exercise, along with medication.